Backyard Camp Out
by misspatchesmom
Summary: The DiNozzo kids get a tent and plan to sleep outside on a summer night. How long will they last? Who will end up in the tent in the morning? August 2026. Part of the "You Complete Me" universe.


Backyard Camp-Out

_The DiNozzo kids get a tent and plan to sleep outside on a summer night. How long will they last? Who will end up in the tent in the morning? August 2026. __Just a bit of fun and fluff with the DiNozzo family. After some heavy content in the past few stories, I figured a light-hearted story was in order. Hope you enjoy!_

"Go get the kids," Tony finished securing the last strap of the tent's fabric to its frame. "I want to see their faces when they see the tent!" He and Ziva had gone outside as soon as there was visible light to start setting up the seven-foot square tent. Ziva had spotted it on clearance at a local big-box store.

The sun was just peeking over the roof tops on the east side of the street when they finished getting it set up. Ziva glanced at her phone; 0625.

"Are you sure we should wake them up this early on a Saturday?" she locked eyes with her big kid, who just grinned at her. She turned to go inside just as Anthony and LJ came out on to the deck from the family room.

"IMA! We're hungry," LJ stopped in his tracks and stared at the tent. His mouth dropped open as his brother noticed the tent as well.

Anthony spoke first, "COOL! Is it for us?" As Tony nodded, the boys made their way off the deck and ran to the tent. LJ went inside the flap as Anthony and Daisy walked around the outside. Asher got up from where he had been lying in the grass and followed LJ inside the tent.

Ziva headed into the house to get the girls while Tony and the boys checked out the zipped windows and screen door. Both dogs lay down in the middle of the tent as if ready for their sleep out.

"I don't understand why we have to get up so early," Tali grumbled as she followed her sisters out into the backyard.

"You will see," Ziva promised as she shooed the girls out the sliding door into the backyard.

"OH, COOL!" Beth and Rivka shouted at the same time and ran to the tent and their brothers.

Tali yawned and walked over to where her siblings were excitedly exploring the new tent. "Okay, so you got us a tent. Big deal." She was unimpressed at this ungodly hour of the morning. Her parents were grinning like fools as her brothers and sisters picked up on their parents' excitement.

"Geez, Tals, show some enthusiasm," Tony put an arm around his eldest's shoulder.

Tali shrugged, "Maybe in a few hours…"

Ziva headed towards the deck, "I am going to make breakfast; who wants pancakes?"

"And bacon?" LJ asked. "I can eat a whole stack of pancakes, Ima." Ziva grinned at her youngest; he and Anthony definitely had inherited the DiNozzo food gene. Both boys were constantly hungry.

"Yes, we will have bacon as well," Ziva ruffled LJ's hair as he followed her inside. "Do you want to help mix the batter?" LJ nodded and grinned; he loved to help Ima cook.

Thirty minutes later, each DiNozzo had a stack of pancakes, pieces of bacon, and a glass of orange juice. Ziva had her morning cup of Earl Grey tea as well. The kids were all talking about sleeping in the tent that night and asking if they could invite their McGee cousins over to spend the night soon.

"Let's figure out how you are going to sleep in the tent first before we invite anyone to spend the night," Tony suggested. "Do we want to get air mattresses, sleeping bags, or what?" He looked to Ziva.

She thought a minute and then suggested that they try to find two king-sized foam mattress toppers to stack on the tent floor. That would fill entire floor with padding; they could then put sleeping bags, blankets, pillows, or whatever else they needed to sleep on top of the foam. Tony did a search on his phone and found a four inch thick super-king foam mattress topper at one of the nearby warehouse clubs.

He showed the product to Ziva who nodded for him to go ahead and order for pick up later that day. He ordered two of the eighty inch by eighty inch toppers and paid via his phone app.

"Will be ready for pick up at 1100," he announced to all. "We'll need to take my truck to get them. I'll dig out the tie-down straps in the garage."

By 1600, everything was set up inside the tent for the kids to sleep outside that night. The two mattress toppers had been stacked and then covered with a king-sized flat sheet. Each of the children set up a sleep area with a pillow and blanket; staking a claim to part of the tent. The four older kids were each along a side and LJ was set up in the center of the tent.

To help with the camping mood for the night, Tony lit a fire in the fire pit and they made s'mores for dessert. Around 2100 the kids finally settled down in the tent, although Ziva could see the circles of light from the flashlights shining on the tent walls several times when she looked out the sliding door in the master bedroom.

"I hope they finally go to sleep," she commented as she and Tony turned out the lights in their room around 2230. They left a night light on by the sliding door in their room and in the family room so that the kids could come inside if needed.

Ziva was awakened about someone patting her arm, "Ima. IMA!" She heard Rivka whispering as she rolled and opened her eyes. The clock on her nightstand showed a few minutes before midnight.

"Are you awake, Ima?"

"Yes," Ziva sat up and then stood. She walked towards the hallway from the master bedroom motioning for her middle child to follow. She didn't want to wake Tony if it wasn't necessary. "Are you okay?"

Rivka nodded, "Yes, but LJ and Tali are snoring, and there are all kinds of noises that are keeping me awake, and I'm hungry and I gotta pee and…"

Ziva put a finger over her daughter's mouth and pointed her in the direction of the half bath between the offices. Rivka did what she needed and came out to her waiting mother.

"I want to go to my bed," she stated. "Will you tuck me in, please?" Ziva followed her to the twins' bedroom and hugged her middle daughter after pulling the covers up. She sang "Numi, numi" as she rubbed Rivka's back and within a few minutes, her child was sleeping. She quietly stood up and walked out into the hallway. In the family room she met Tony and Anthony.

"Tali and LJ were snoring, Ima. I couldn't sleep!" Anthony headed to his room as his parents went to theirs.

As the couple lay back on the bed, Ziva sighed. "Two down, three left… Who will be next?"

"Well, I'm going to try to go back to sleep in the meantime," Tony pulled Ziva into his side and closed his eyes. "No telling who or when…"

"Abba," Beth poked her father's shoulder. "Abba; I can't find Riv!"

Tony rolled over towards his mini-ninja. He opened an eye to see 0228 on the clock. He stifled a groan.

"She's in her bed; she couldn't sleep outside."

"Oh; well, Tali and LJ were snoring. They are loud, Abba. Then LJ started crying and Tali tried to get him to be quiet. He won't stop crying. I'm thirsty and hungry too."

Ziva rolled over, "I will check on LJ; you can get her some juice, Tony." She put on slippers and headed outside while Beth followed her Abba to the kitchen where he handed her a juice box.

Beth finished her juice and headed to her room. Tony tucked her into her bed and went back to the master bedroom to wait for Ziva to come back inside.

Out in the tent, LJ snuggled into his Ima's arms as she rubbed his back and sang softly to him. Tali lay back down and both kids drifted to sleep as their Ima sang. Ziva held LJ a few minutes longer to make sure he was sleeping.

The next thing Tali heard was her Ima's snores; louder than LJ's. She knew she wouldn't go back to sleep with the noise so she slipped out of the tent and opened the sliding door to the master bedroom. She tapped her Abba's arm.

"Abba!"

"Mmm, Tals?"

"Ima fell asleep outside and she's snoring loud enough to wake up the neighborhood. I'm going to my room to sleep."

"K; what time is it?"

Tali looked at her father's nightstand clock, "three forty, Abba. Night." She left for her bedroom as Tony found his slippers to go out in the yard. He could hear Ziva's snores as he got closer to the tent. He passed through the tent door to see LJ moving away from his mother.

"She's loud, Abba. I'm going inside with everyone else," he announced.

Tony nodded and knelt down next to his wife. "Ziva…"

"Mmm?"

"Let's go inside; you fell asleep in the tent." He nuzzled into her neck as he spoke, hoping to wake her up. "It's just you and me in here; all the kids went inside to sleep."

"Mmm… she turned into his embrace and sleepily kissed him. "In a few minutes we can go inside…"

About 0800, the five DiNozzo kids met in the kitchen. No Ima or Abba, and when Tali looked in their room the bed was empty. She grinned and motioned for her siblings to follow her outside. The five quietly approached the tent. They could hear their parents' snores, not as loud as in the dark hours, but still snores.

Tali slowly pulled the tent flap to the side. Tony and Ziva were snuggled together in a tangle of limbs in the center of the tent, both sound asleep. The twins started giggling as Asher began licking Ziva.

Tony rolled and groaned as Ziva put her arm up to block Asher's doggy kisses. She rolled to sit up and groaned with her husband. The kids all laughed at Tony's hair sticking up in all directions as Ziva said one word to him, "Porcuswine!" He grinned at her and then frowned as he tried to get up. Limbs protested as both adults moved.

"So much for sleeping in a tent; we will be paying the price for the whole day!" Tony's knees and hips protested as he stretched and held out a hand to Ziva.

As she stood, he whispered in her ear, "But it was worth it for the time alone…"


End file.
